The Libyan National Army announced its control of Ras Ajdir town on the Libya-Tunisian border, after it had previously announced control over the Abu Kammash town east of the border.
In Sirte, the Crisis and Emergency Committee of the Ministry of Health has condemned in its strongest terms the targeting of a medical team on March 27 in the Abu Grein area near Sirte.
In Al-Watiya, LNA fended off on March 25 a massive attack on its forces, by militias allied with GNA, at Al-Watiya air base west of Tripoli, according to LNA operations room.
Libya’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced on March 29 the confirmation of five new cases of Coronavirus (Covid-19). This brings the country’s total confirmed cases to eight.
In Tripoli, clashes have renewed between the Libyan National Army and the militias of the Tripoli-based government of “National Accord” in the Ain Zara neighborhood, in southern Tripoli.
On the international level, the European Union (EU) and the United States on March 27 called for a humanitarian truce in Libya’s fighting in order for the country to focus on fighting the Coronavirus.
ABU KAMMASH – RAS AJDIR
- the Libyan National Army announced its control of Ras Ajdir town on the Libya-Tunisian border, after it had previously announced control over the Abu Kammash town east of the border. The LNA had not yet entered the border point, despite the withdrawal of the forces of the National Accord Government, which belongs to the city of Zuwara, noting that “the LNA units there are awaiting for coordination with the Tunisian side about the changing situation at the border crossing.” [Address Libya, 26.03.2020].
ABU GREIN – AL QADAHIA – WADI ZAMZAM
- the Crisis and Emergency Committee of the Ministry of Health has condemned in its strongest terms the targeting of a medical team on March 27 in the Abu Grein area near Sirte. The attack resulted in the injury of several paramedics and destroyed an ambulance, according to the committee, describing it as “an immoral attack”. The head of the Crisis and Emergency Committee at the Ministry of Health, Fawzi Onis, stressed that such offensives, which violate all domestic and international laws will be added to the record of attacks on the health sector and its workers since the start of the aggression against Tripoli [Libya Observer, 28.03.2020];
- violent clashes are taking place in the south-east of Misrata on March 27 between forces of the Libyan National Army (LNA) and militias allied with the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), according to media reports. The clashes take place in the Abu Grein area after LNA conducted a series of air raids against several targets of the Misrata militias [Address Libya, 27.03.2020].
AL ASSA – RIQDALIN
- the Libyan National Army (LNA) forces entered and controlled on March 25 the town of Al Assa near the Tunisian border, amid welcome of the residents. LNA forces also controlled the town of Riqdalin south of Zuwara, not far from Al Assa. Tariq bin Ziyad Battalion of LNA stormed and took control of Tareeq Riqdalin Military Camp of the Tripoli-based Government of Fayez al-Sarraj militias, under the command of Osama Juwaili, according to a statement by the Battalion [Address Libya, 25.03.2020].
AL-WATIYA
- LNA fended off on March 25 a massive attack on its forces, by militias allied with GNA, at Al-Watiya air base west of Tripoli, according to LNA operations room. “Our forces fend off a massive attack by Erdogan’s mercenaries and terrorist organizations militias on Al-Watiya air base, defeating them, where they suffered huge losses,” said the Media Center of LNA Al-Karama Operations Room. “These are the militias that do not recognize armistice, agreements or humanitarian situations,” the Center added [Address Libya, 25.03.2020];
- the Libyan Army forces have launched Operation Peace Storm in order to target Khalifa Haftar’s forces and foil their attacks on civilians in Tripoli. Operation Peace Storm started by an attack on Haftar’s forces in Al-Watiya airbase, capturing several fighters and mercenaries, destroying a warplane and seizing major parts of it, amid clashes on frontlines from Abu Grein in eastern Misrata to western Tripoli International Airport. The spokesman for the Libyan Army Mohammed Gununu said the new operation comes to respond to Haftar’s forces source of attacks and the launchers as well as artillery weapons they are using to target Tripoli civilian neighborhoods, which have been under attacks for the last three consecutive days [Libya Observer, 25.03.2020].
MISRATA – TRIPOLI
- Libya’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced on March 29 the confirmation of five new cases of Coronavirus (Covid-19). This brings the country’s total confirmed cases to eight. The NCDC says the five new cases were all in the city of Misrata and were people that had come into contact with one of the positive cases announced on March 28. Seven others tested from the same group proved negative [Libya Herald, 29.03.2020].
SHARSHARA
- the Libyan National Army spokesperson, Ahmed al-Mismari, said that the forces of the Tripoli-based government of “National Accord” have targeted the Sharshara region, north of Tarhouna city, with Grad rockets. In a note on Facebook, Al-Mismari indicated that “indiscriminate shells from the GNA artillery have continued to hit the neighborhoods of Qasr Bin Ghashir and Wadi Al-Rabi‘ east of Tripoli” [Address Libya, 24.03.2020].
SIRTE
- the Libyan army spokesman, Mohammed Gununu has said that a major attack by Haftar militias was repelled by the army forces in the western fighting axis of Sirte. Speaking at a press briefing on March 27, Gununu said that Haftar’s militia backed with mercenaries and air cover from foreign aircraft tried to advance towards positions of the Libyan army forces. At least 39 of Haftar’s forces were killed in addition to destroying and seizing a number of their armed vehicles, according to Gununu. A prominent leader of Haftar militias identified to be Ali Sida al-Tabawi was also killed on March 27 during clashes in Al-Wishka axis. Al-Tabawi, as reported, was responsible for recruiting mercenaries from Chad and Sudan [Libya Observer, 28.03.2020].
TRIPOLI
- clashes have renewed between the Libyan National Army and the militias of the Tripoli-based government of “National Accord” in the Ain Zara neighborhood, in southern Tripoli, after a new breach of the humanitarian truce by the GNA militias. Militias supported by pro-Turkey Syrian mercenaries used heavy artillery targeting residential areas, while the LNA forces responded to the sources of fire. The clashes with heavy and medium weapons are still continuing [Address Libya, 29.03.2020];
- the Libyan National Army has repelled the militias’ attack on Al-Ahiaa al-Barria and Naqlia Camp in Tripoli, and they scanned the entire area, chasing the militias, and tightening control over their positions, Al-Mundhir al-Khartosh, LNA media office member said [Address Libya, 28.03.2020];
- the 155th Battalion and the Ninth Brigade of the Libyan National Army (LNA) advanced on March 25 and took over new sites in the axis of Al-Ahiaa al-Barria at the Airport Road in Tripoli, according to the Media Office of Battalion 155. The militias suffered heavy losses, where LNA forces recovered bodies of their members that they left behind while losing their positions, the Media Office said [Address Libya, 25.03.2020];
- Khalifa Haftar’s forces have carried out artillery shelling on different densely populated civilian neighborhoods in Tripoli causing several casualties and damages to people’s properties. The attacks started on March 24 night and continued to March 25, hitting civilian areas in Assaba, Bab Benghashir, Ras Hassan, Tariq al-Soor, Abu Salim and Al-Hadba neighborhoods in Tripoli [Libya Observer, 25.03.2020];
- Libya’s first Coronavirus (Covid19) case was confirmed late last night, March 24, by the Health Minister of the internationally recognized government in Tripoli. He gave little details about the case and did not reveal his name. However, the head of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Badr al-Din al-Najar, said in a later televised statement that the patient was a 73-year-old man who had returned from a visit to Saudi Arabia on 5 March [Libya Herald, 25.03.2020];
- Khalifa Haftar’s forces have carried out, for the fourth respective day, rocket attacks on Ain Zara in southern Tripoli despite announcing adherence to a humanitarian halt of hostilities amid Coronavirus concerns. On March 24, Haftar’s forces attacked Al Rwemi prison in Ain Zara, where there are about 420 inmates, according to the Ministry of Justice of the Government of National Accord [Libya Observer, 24.03.2020];
- two Libyan nationals, a woman 42 years old and a man 55 years old, and two foreign workers have been killed in two different rocket attacks by Khalifa Haftar’s forces on Ain Zara and areas near Mitiga Airport in Tripoli. The media office of Volcano of Rage Operation said the woman and man in Ain Zara were killed March 23 as rockets fell on their House while the foreign workers were killed and others injured in rockets falling on neighborhoods nearby Mitiga Airport, especially on Awlad Diyab area where many houses and cars were damaged [Libya Observer, 23.03.2020].
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has reiterated its strong support for the voices calling for putting aside the differences between Libyans and concentrating on the coronavirus epidemic threat [Libya Observer, 28.03.2020];
- the European Union (EU) and the United States on March 27 called for a humanitarian truce in Libya’s fighting in order for the country to focus on fighting the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic [Libya Herald, 28.03.2020];
- the European Union will launch a new Mediterranean naval and air mission in April to stop more arms reach warring factions in Libya, EU diplomats said on March 26, with Greece agreeing to take in any migrants rescued at sea [Libyan Express, 26.03.2020];
- the UN Security Council urged on March 26 the Libyan warring parties to commit to an immediate ceasefire, expressing concerns over the military escalation on the ground [Libya Observer, 26.03.2020];
- European Union Foreign Minister Josep Borrell announced on March 23 that the European Union hopes to resume at the end of March its naval operation to monitor the arms embargo to Libya imposed by the United Nations [Address Libya, 24.03.2020];
- the Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, Yacoub El Hillo, welcomed the Libyan parties’ response to calls for a humanitarian truce, calling for facilitating prevention and response capabilities in Libya with regard to the novel Coronavirus [Address Libya, 23.03.2020].
